iPhone Upgrade Program

Apple is saying a polite goodbye to its old iPhone Upgrade Program and hello to a new way of paying: leasing. Translation for normal people: instead of paying toward owning your phone, more people may now end up paying monthly to use it for a while and then hand it back. Apple insists it’ll still be easy to get your next device, whether through its new Apple Upgrade, carrier deals, financing, or just buying one outright. But the comment section? Absolutely not calm about it.

The loudest reaction was a mix of cynicism and eye-rolling. One commenter basically shrugged that this was inevitable because, in their words, the last few iPhones have felt almost identical anyway. Another went full cyberpunk and blasted the move as part of the “you’ll own nothing” future, with extra side-eye because Klarna is involved. That sparked the biggest drama: is this a practical new payment option, or is Apple normalizing renting your own life?

Not everyone was furious. A few people argued that this is really just the phone version of leasing a car: predictable monthly payments, easy upgrades, less hassle. But then came the killer line that stole the thread’s spotlight: paying hundreds of dollars over two years just to give the phone back is, apparently, “the most dystopian timeline.” And honestly, that comment pretty much became the meme, the mood, and the headline all by itself.